ANAHEIM — The Rockies didn’t lack cadidates, but their players are not among the finalist in the Players Choice Awards, in whch players recognize excellence among their peers. The winners will be announced next week on ESPN radio’s “Mike & Mike” program.

Third baseman Garrett Atkins gets his first start today since June 7 in St. Louis. No surprise there, considering he’s 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs against Mariners lefty Jason Vargas.

The surprise might be that Todd Helton is once again playing a day game after a Saturday night game. Manager Jim Tracy could have rested Helton, started Atkins at first and kept Ian Stewart at third. But Helton’s in a groove. Saturday night he got his team-high 10th go-ahead RBI with a two-out single in the seventh. That hit raised his average with runners in scoring position and two outs to a robust .522. That’s third best in the National League.

Here are today’s lineups as the Rockies go after their third consecutive sweep:

Few things in sport are as unpredictable as major league pitchers and their shoulders, elbows and states of mind.

Think back to spring training. There was still hope that Jeff Francis would be the team’s No. 1 lefty starter.

Franklin Morales seemed on the verge of becoming a significant fixture in the rotation.

Taylor Buchholz, armed with his killer curve, was going to solidify his place as one of the game’s best setup men. Jorge De La Rosa was struggling with his head games. Jason Marquis was terrible.

Now, 2 ½ months later, the picture is funkier than a Picasso.

Jeff Francis is out for the season with a bad shoulder. Today, we found out that Buchholz is a long way from coming back from his right elbow problems, and he too, might be gone for the year. Morales, after shoulder problems of his own, has been set down to Triple-A to see if he can harness his abundant but wild talent. De La Rosa is finally getting his act together.

And Marquis? He leads the NL in wins and goes after No. 9 tonight vs. the Mariners.

And then there’s Matt Daley, the man who was buried in Triple-A until he proved that he could handle the big leagues. He’s looking more important than ever.

Go figure.

Here are tonight’s lineups as the Rockies try win to 10 straight games in a row, in succession, in order, consecutively (As my good buddy Thomas Harding from MLB.com likes to say).

Las Vegas — Astute observers of Friday’s game noticed the same thing I did. Todd Helton still isn’t running well. He’s purposely being cautious in his return from back surgery. But to clear a couple of things up: He did not leave last night’s game with an injury. He’s played plenty this spring and there was no reason to push it.

Also, the weather conditions were miserable. There were 35-mile-per-hour winds, dropping the temperatures into the 40s. So it was no surprise to see Helton moving slowly as he navigated the bases last night, especially going first to third. It does show that his back will need to be monitored, especially in nasty weather. Nonetheless, Helton remains the surprise of spring training. And the idea of him hitting 20 home runs is no longer preposterous.

As for his backup, Garrett Atkins will start at first base, his first innings there this spring. He didn’t have the opportunity to play because of two separate leg injuries. Manager Clint Hurdle told me last night that Atkins would play, weather willing.

The Rockies will start Jason Marquis with the Mariners countering with Ryan Rowland-Smith. There’s no DH today with the Rockies the home team:

Last Vegas — Josh Fogg threw Thursday in Arizona, but not necessarily well enough to land a big-league gig elsewhere. The Orioles have mild interest, but remain a longshot. If nothing materializez, Fogg confirmed to The Denver Post that he will report to Triple-A Colorado Springs.

The Rockies had three players with opt out dates Friday — Sal Fasano, Matt Belisle and Fogg — and none were exercised. Fasano deserves to be in the big leagues somewhere. The guy is masterful in his work with pitchers, and would make a great bench coach someday. He will be a valuable asset in Springs. Belisle has no incentive to leave. Manager Clint Hurdle expects to add him to the big-league staff as a long reliever next Friday with Franklin Morales returning to the minors to pitch on regular rest until April 21.

The lineup the Rockies featured tonight will likely be the one trotted out for the home opener Friday against left-hander Cole Hamels. That would leave center fielder Dexter Fowler hitting leadoff and Ryan Spilborghs shifting to left and hitting second.

Footnotes
After his third hit, including two wind-blown shots that became an adventure for left fielder Endy Chavez, Todd Helton exited for a pinch-runner in the top of the fourth inning. No reason to push it on a night with the temperatures in the 40s with wind-chill factored in. Christian Colonel replaced him. … Franklin Morales provided an ecnouraging outing through four innings. As he started to derail in the third inning with runners on base, he struck out Russell Branyan and erased Mike Sweeney with a fly out to center field. … Because of two separate leg injuries this spring, Garrett Atkins never played first base. Hurdle suggested that Atkins could play some first Saturday. Jeff Baker is also a potential fill-in for Todd Helton. … On a raw, cold evening, Clint Barmes and Dexter Fowler played the entire game. They should receive an ice sculpture for their work.

Las Vegas — There aren’t many places like this. I was reminded of that last night as I walked into 7-Eleven. Inside, there are slot machines. And yes, patrons get free fountain drinks while playing. The other oddity about Vegas — it’s a place I visited often when I lived in Lake Havasu City after college? The combinations.

Can’t recall seeing another store for instance that features donuts, coffee, Chinese food and jewelry. Whatever works in this economy, right?

The Rockies face the Seattle Mariners tonight at Cashman Field. Seattle doesn’t have Ichiro, who landed on the DL with a bleeding ulcer. The wind makes it feel more like Wyoming than Nevada. The players are bundled up in sweatshirts and jackets, including Seth Smith. He flew back from Mississippi today, with a connecting flight in Dallas. He doesn’t look like he’s slept much after the birth of his daughter Sienna Elizabeth, who checked in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces.
“It’s been crazy,” Smith said. He’s not in the lineup, so perhaps he can sleep during the game. Here’s a look. This will likely be the opening day lineup, save for Smith hitting second and Ryan Spilborghs moving to the leadoff spot and the absence of the DH.

A hot afternoon at Coors Field usually provides opportunity for a lot of runs. The Rockies could use them. The three runs they scored in a 5-3 loss to the Padres Tuesday night were their fewest runs at Coors since June 19. Colorado also didn’t hit a homer, breaking a streak of 15 consecutive games with at least one homer at Coors Field.

KO’d by a nasty stomach ailment, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is out of the lineup for the second straight game. Tuesday, he didn’t even make it to the ballpark.
“I couldn’t stop throwing up,” he said.
“Tulo” is at the park today and available for spot duty, even though he’s still looking a little green and running a slight fever.

The Rockiesâ€™ bats finally woke up Saturday night, but the club still fell 7-3 to the Padres. A win today, against four-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux, would make a horrendous seven-game homestand go down just a bit easier. Colorado is 2-4 through the first six games, having lost three straight.
The Rockies open a three-game series against the Mets at Shea Stadium tomorrow where the Rockiesâ€™ all-time record is 20-40. In other words, the Rockies need a victory today to avoid spiraling into a deeper, darker slump.
Clint Barmes, who got two hits Saturday night, including a hustling double, starts again today against Troy Tulowitzki.

Dugout chatter
â€œHopefully the game slows down a little bit and I can perform better when I return. â€¦ Iâ€™ve never really failed at baseball, at least not in hitting, my entire life, but Iâ€™m struggling a little bit. Itâ€™s something Iâ€™ve never dealt with, but Iâ€™m confident Iâ€™ll get back.â€?
— Rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on sitting out for his second straight game

Numbers of note
Wins and losses tell a sad story. The Rockies have lost three straight, eight of their last 11 and seven of their last eight to the Padres.

Dugout chatter
â€œYeah, Iâ€™m eager to get out there, Iâ€™m ready. But when youâ€™re not in the lineup, you have to be ready regardless. When Iâ€™m waiting to get my chance, I play the game mentally. Itâ€™s almost like Iâ€™m a manager, knowing who we have used, making sure Iâ€™m aware of whatâ€™s going on. That way, Iâ€™m ready when my time comes.â€?
— Jeff Baker, who gets his first start of the season tonight, playing right field in front of Brad Hawpe. Baker is 3-for-3 with a home run in three pinch-hit appearances.

Number of note: Rockies pitchers have issued zero walks over the last two games. Itâ€™s just the second time in franchise history the club has gone consecutive games without walking a batter.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.